Heavy rain, flooding possible across South as storms threaten millions
A double whammy of winter storm systems is threatening to bring heavy rain, snow and hail across the country this week, forecasters said Monday.
More than 25 million people are under flood watches or advisories as severe thunderstorms are expected to move late Monday through northern Texas, eastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri, Fox Weather meteorologist Stephen McCloud told The Post.
The threatening system will start shifting east Tuesday, prompting another round of severe weather warnings or watches from southern Illinois through central Mississippi, where possible tornadoes may also occur, McCloud said.
Major southern cities like Huntsville, Alabama, as well as Nashville and Memphis in Tennessee, also face the same threat along with large hail in some spots.
Some areas could see as much as 5 inches of rain before the system moves out of the region Wednesday. The heaviest rainfall is expected across central Mississippi and western Alabama, although flash flooding is possible from Oklahoma to West Virginia through Tuesday.
A second system is expected to move into the Northeast beginning late Tuesday into early Wednesday, McCloud said.
Heavy rain could impact parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, he said.
“There’s no severe outlook just yet, but one could come tomorrow for Wednesday,” McCloud told The Post of the potential impact on the New York region. “The threat of severe weather drops off considerably after tomorrow.”
Rain is also expected again in the Big Apple on Friday, while areas from northern New Jersey southward could get some snow, as well as parts of northern Pennsylvania and north and central New York.
While New York won’t likely see any significant snowfall totals, McCloud said it’s a “good bet” that parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will be impacted by the second storm come Friday.
Across the country, McCloud said, some 26.4 million people were under some type of severe weather watch or warning as of Monday.
